Johannesburg, May 9 : An Indian-origin South African Mayor has accused a government official of racially abusing him and asking him to "go back to India", an incident dubbed as unwarranted backlash over the controversial Gupta wedding.
Newcastle Mayor Afzul Rehman has accused a Transport Department official of unlawfully, intentionally and seriously abusing him, local media reported.
Rehman is planning to approach both the Equality Court and the Human Rights Commission over the incident which occurred while he was renewing his driving licence last week.
Rehman said while waiting for his application to be processed, he was "accosted" by an official at a vehicle testing station in Newcastle who allegedly remarked: "Hey, Gupta, what are you doing here?"
He ignored the official, who then "cracked a joke about Indians" before heading into an office, and returning and shouting the slur a second time.
Rehman said he approached the official and asked him if he knew who he was. The official allegedly replied: "Yes, I know, you are: a Gupta."
"I responded that I take offence to his comments as I deemed it to be racist, and he said: 'You can go back to India and take offence. Here in South Africa, this country belongs to us'," Rehman said, adding that he had reported the incident to the official's superior, who later said the official wanted to apologise.
"I agreed at first, but then thought of the man in the street who will be subjected to this kind of treatment by an official in a uniform."
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